Hot Topics:

City Council takes steps on marijuana ordinance

LOWELL -- The City Council took the first procedural step Tuesday night to move forward a zoning ordinance that would restrict where medical-marijuana dispensaries could be located in the city.

The Council voted unanimously to send the proposed ordinance to the Planning Board for a public hearing, report and recommendation.

The Council can have its own public hearing on the matter no earlier than Tuesday, Feb. 5.

Under the proposed ordinance, a medical-marijuana treatment center could only be located in suburban-mixed-use (SMU) or regional retail (RR) zoning districts and only if a special permit is granted by the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Before forwarding the ordinance along, the Council amended it to prevent the centers from being within 1,000 feet of any school or public library. The drafted ordinance included a 500-foot restriction.

The new medical-marijuana law, a result of an approved November ballot measure, takes effect Jan. 1.

The state Department of Public Health will then have 120 days to clarify how much marijuana patients will be eligible to receive and where 35 marijuana dispensaries scheduled to open by the end of next year will be located.

In other business Tuesday, the Council:

* Voted 8-0 to put the city's $6.4 million budget surplus or "free cash" into the city's stabilization account. The city's total reserves are now $14.1 million, according to City Manager Bernie Lynch. Rodney Elliott voted present.

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sun. So keep it civil.